A few more rooms to pass, doors, faces, and then he would turn the last corner and last veranda. Saigo's anticipation crested for this was a delightful covered walkway, gardens right and left, no more rooms with waiting guards to worry about, and at the end the Shogun's sleeping quarters where he himself and the courtesan had secretly bedded.
All senses tuned for expected danger, Tora a few paces behind him, running as fast, sounds of men approaching enemy, pounding feet.
Another room passed. Only one more doorway, last danger. Faces at the door, a doctor and a coughing youth stared at him in shock, then he was around the corner and, together, they began the last charge.
Both men skidded to a stop. Their hearts stopped. Ahead an officer and three samurai came out of the sanctuary door, swords drawn, to stand waiting for them. The barest hesitation then, Saigo rushed to the kill, his or theirs, Tora equally committed--only these four men between them and the Shogun they protected. "Sonno-joi!"
The Captain held the first charge, parried the blow and locked sword to sword, then twisted and hacked at Saigo as two other samurai attacked Tora, the last staying in reserve as ordered. Saigo deflected the blow and slashed back but missed. Another ferocious flurry of blow and counterblow, Saigo supremely confident, so near to success, pressing the attack, feeling superhuman and that his blade, almost of its own volition, was seeking enemy flesh as it would in seconds destroy the boy Shogun ...
There was a blinding flash behind his eyes, the pounding in his head soared and he suddenly saw that doctor again and that boy again and remembered someone telling him it was believed the boy Shogun had a hacking cough--no portraits of him, of course, not one of the shishi ever having seen him, of course: "If you do not catch him in the bathhouse,"
Katsumata had said, "you will recognize him by his blackened teeth, the cough, his nearness to the Princess, the quality of his robes--remember, both he and the Princess detest guards nearby."
With enormous, heightened strength, howling like a wild beast, Saigo hacked at the Captain who slipped on the polished floor and was, for an instant, helpless. But Saigo did not deliver the death blow, instead whirled back for the boy--and the last samurai saw the opening he had been ordered to wait for. His sword went deep into Saigo's side but Saigo felt none of it and cut impotently at the Shogun wraith in front of him, again and once again and slid to the floor stabbing, already dead but not knowing it.
The Captain had leapt to his feet and hurtled to the attack on Tora, impaled him, and then like an expert butcher, withdrew the blade and beheaded him with a single blow.
"Do the same to him," he gasped, pointing at Saigo, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his breath, and rushed back up the veranda. At the corner, men from the entranceway came pounding up, headed by his second in command. He cursed him and them, shoved him out of the way and hurried past saying: "Every man on this shift ordered to the square outside the Inn, disarmed and on their knees. You too!"
His heart was still pounding and he was enraged and not yet over his panic. Just before sunset Nobusada had testily sent for him: "Take all guards from inside the hedge. Ridiculous to have them here, the rooms so small and awful! Are you helpless, so inept you can't secure this nasty little Inn? Must we bathe with guards, sleep with guards, eat with them looking at us? Go away, tonight I forbid all guards here!"
"But Sire I must ins--"' "You will insist on nothing. No guards inside the hedge tonight. This meeting is ended!" There was nothing the Captain could do, but then there was no need to worry. Of course everything was secure.
When the first muffled sounds of the attack had reached him he was making a final, satisfactory circuit inside the hedge, four men with him--the hedge also acting as a fine sound barrier. By the time he had reached the gate doors and looked out, he had been appalled to see four men charging the hedge, two rushing for the gates. His first thought was for the Shogun and he ran for the bathhouse but the Chamberlain had called out: "What's going on?"' "Men are attacking us, get the Shogun out of the bath!"
"He's not there, he's with the doctor..."
Another panic dash, bypassing the bathhouse to the inner quarters, finding them empty, a frightened maid saying that the Lord Shogun was in one of the rooms on the next veranda and then coming out and seeing the two men charging, no way to protect the Shogun now but thinking if these two were attacking here perhaps they had missed his liege lord...
He knew he would not truly be alive until he found him alive. This took no time.
Nobusada was coughing and raving, still in fright, others around him adding to the tumult. Quickly he learned the Princess was unharmed though also hysterical. His panic left him. He disregarded Nobusada's rage, his voice icy, and every soldier nearby quailed: "Get a courier and four men on the double to rush a report ahead and except for this present shift, all guards here on the double, every man within the compound, fifty men around the sleeping quarters, two men at each corner of every veranda.
And ten men permanently in sight of the Lord Shogun until he and she are safely within the palace walls."
In midmorning the next day, within the palace walls, Yoshi hurried through the outer rim of gardens in the light rain. General Akeda was beside him. "This is terribly dangerous, Sire," he said, afraid that every shrub or thicket, however carefully tended, might hide enemies.
Both men wore light armor and swords--a rarity here where all samurai and all weapons were forbidden, except for the ruling Shogun and an immediate guard of four, the Leader of the Elders and Guardian of the Heir.
It was almost noon. The two men were late and noticed none of the beauty surrounding them, lakes and bridges and flowering shrubs and trees groomed and cherished over centuries. Whenever a gardener saw them, the man would kowtow until they were out of sight. Over their armor were straw overmantles against the rain. All morning there had been intermittent showers. Yoshi's pace quickened.
This was not the first time he had hurried to a clandestine meeting within the palace grounds--safe but never truly safe. So difficult to have a truly safe meeting anywhere, with a spy, informer, or adversary--in secret almost impossible-- always afraid of ambush, poison or hidden bowmen or musketeers. The same applied to every daimyo. His own safety factor he knew was very low. So low in fact that his father and grandfather had taught him to accept the fact that death from old age had no place in their karma.
"We are as safe as anywhere on earth," he said. "It would be unthinkable to break a truce here."
"Yes, except for Ogama. He is a liar, cheat, he should be meat for vultures, his head spiked."
Yoshi smiled and felt better. Since the appalling news of the shishi attack had arrived in the middle of the night he had been more edged than ever --more than when on the death of his uncle he had been passed over as Shogun and Nobusada appointed instead, more than when tairo Ii had arrested him, his father and their families and sent them to rot in foul quarters. He had made preparations to rush two hundred men to meet the entourage at the Kyoto barrier, and at dawn had sent Akeda secretly to Ogama to relate what had happened and why a large party of men equipped for war were leaving his stockade.
"Tell Ogama all that we have been told, and answer any of his questions, I want no mistakes Akeda."
"There will be none from me, Sire."
"Good. Then give him the letter and request an immediate answer." Yoshi had not told Akeda what the letter contained, nor did his general ask. And when Akeda returned Yoshi said, "Tell me exactly what he did."
"Ogama read the letter twice and spat, cursed twice, threw it at his counselor, Basuhiro, who read it with that stony, slimy pockmarked face of his that gave nothing away, who said, "Perhaps we should discuss this in private, Sire." I told them I would wait, I did and then after a reasonable time Basuhiro came out and said, "My Lord agrees but he will come armed and I will be armed." What's this all about, Sire?"' Yoshi told him and the old man went purple.
"You asked to meet him alone? With only myself as guard? That is craziness, just because he says he will come only with Basuhi--"' "Enough!" Yoshi knew the risks were great but he had to gamble again, had to have an answer on his proposal about the Gates and then, when he was about to leave and one of the surfeit of Shogunate spies reported certain conversations overheard between the shishi Katsumata and others at the Inn of Whispering Pines he had been elated he had asked for the meeting. "There he is!"
Ogama was standing in the shade of a wide-branched tree where they had agreed, Basuhiro at his side. Both were clearly suspicious, expecting treachery, but not as visibly nervous as Akeda.
Yoshi had proposed that Ogama come in through the South Gate, he would use the East Gate, leaving his palanquin and guards outside with their safe conduct guaranteed. After the meeting, all four would walk out of the East Gate together.
As before the two adversaries walked towards each other to speak alone. Akeda and Basuhiro watched tensely.
"So!" Ogama said after their formal greeting.
"A handful of shishi attack through hundreds of guards like a knife through dung and almost in Nobusada's bath, naked wife and bed before they are caught. Ten men you say?"
"Three were Choshu ronin, the two that got through the hedge were Choshus, one of them the leader."
Yoshi was not over his fright at the attack, and wondered if he dared draw his sword at this rare opportunity to challenge Ogama alone-- Basuhiro presented no physical threat, with or without Akeda.
I need Ogama dead one way or another, he thought, but not yet. Not when two thousand Choshu hold the Gates and me in thrall. "All of them died without doing harm, except to some guards, the survivors not long on this earth. I hear you have offered all your Choshu ronin an amnesty?" he asked, his voice edging, wondering again if Ogama had a secret hand in the planning which had been impeccable and, if the truth was known, should have been successful. "If shishi or not."
"Yes," Ogama said, his mouth smiling.
"All daimyo should do the same, a quick and simple way to control all ronin, shishi or not.
They are a pestilence that must be stopped."
"I agree. Amnesty will not stop them. May I ask, how many of your ronin have accepted your offer?"
Ogama laughed roughly, "Clearly not the ones who were in the attack! One or two so far, Yoshi-dono. How many are there in all? A hundred? Not two hundred, of which twenty or thirty may be Choshu? Choshu or not, never mind." His face hardened. "I did not plan the attack if that is what is in your mind, or know about it." The mirthless smile returned.
"Unthinkable to have such a treasonous thought. Eh?